Anesthesia is a pain-duller, relaxant, and sedative which is given to patients prior to surgery in order to eliminate sensations. The chemicals used in an anesthetic cause a patient to go into an induced and reversible amnesia and/or analgesia. Patients often experience a loss of all muscle reflexes. This is an excellent way to eliminate discomfort during serious operations and keep the patient from resisting procedure because of pain. While anesthetic is a wonderful luxury, there are times that the substance is abused. Just recently, California courts ruled that nurses who are trained anesthetists do not need a doctor's supervision in order to issue anesthetic to their hospital patients.

By approving this motion, physicians will be freed up for other tasks in the hospital, and nurses will be able to meet their charges' needs faster. While some hospitals are excited about the new permission, others are worried. One doctor says that physician supervision is essential to make sure that all patients are given the right amount of anesthetic. Only 16 states do not allow nurses free-reign to issue doctor-ordered anesthetics without anyone there to monitor. According to Time magazine, when medical staff don't issue this pain-duller safely, it can create serious problems. The German Medical Association recently performed a study which was published in their international science journal. Their conclusion says that death rates are rising as a result of general anesthesia overdoses.

According to Time, some elderly patients cannot handle the amount of anesthesia issued before an operation. Older men and women with heart problems and high blood pressure are especially vulnerable. While dying on the operating table is rare, it has happened to unfortunate individuals post-surgery. When an anesthetic is dispensed, it usually sends a patient's blood pressure plummeting downward. Some patients don't react well to the drop, and too much anesthetic can do serious damage. Doctors and nurses should always check to make sure that their patients have no medical conditions which could become a problem when anesthetic is issued.

When a nurse fails to issue anesthesia correctly, it can have drastic consequences. In June 2011, a 4-year-old boy went under the knife for an eyelid surgery in Ohio. An uncertified nurse administered his sedative, and as a result the little boy stopped breathing. He survived the 15 minutes without oxygen, but suffered severe, irreversible mental damage. In 2010, a family earned $20 million dollars in a medical malpractice lawsuit when a their relative passed away during surgery because of an anesthesia error. The woman had a condition which caused her lungs to fill with fluid, but nurses and doctors failed to note the life-threatening concern. After she was issued an anesthesia her body reacted by filling her lungs with bile, and she suffocated on the operating table.

There are many reasons that a patient can suffer from anesthesia errors. Sometimes the medical devices used to administer the sedatives is defective. Other times the medical staff fails to complete or read the patient's history and did not note a particular allergy. Nurses may mislabel their anesthetics, or combine the chemicals incorrectly. Sometimes intubation is done improperly, or the patient is given an overdose because of negligence. According to the National Practitioner Data Bank, 8,297 anesthesia lawsuits were reported in a span of 13 years. Almost 46 percent of all anesthesia deaths are because of an overdose, which was issued by a doctor or nurse. These mistakes result in death, permanent brain damage, and a host of lasting medical conditions. Heart problems, spinal cord injuries, paralysis, coma, loss of bodily functions, asphyxia, or tracheal damage are all common results from one of these faults. If you or a loved one has suffered because of the negligence of a doctor or nurse, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact a medical malpractice lawyer as soon as possible to discuss your case.